Mattel Coverage

Lots more pics to come!

DC Superheroes- Justice League UnlimitedComing off a strong year for the JLU brand, 2006 will be even more oriented toward the collectors. Keep in mind that these were planned out in early 2005, so even if some of your favorites are now shown, they probably are already in the pipeline. As usual Mattel will have a big showing at SDCC 2006 in July, so in the words of Al Jolson, "You ain't seen nothin yet!" As a taste of what's in store, Doomsday has been sculpted and they are hard at work looking at how to do Grundy.

Some of the nicer surprises shown are the all new sculpts for Etrigan, Vigilante, and Shining Knight, along with much requested accessories like Orion's rocket sled. Even though the cartoon's days may be numbered, with any luck the line will keep chugging along as long as sales stay up. We know that Mattel is hard at work on the 2007 line right now, so here's hoping we'll be able to buy it! One last note: a giant round of applause and thanks to the hard working guys at Mattel who shepherded this line to what it is today, and who have moved on to other endeavors- Thanks, Inside Traitor, Itchy Greek, and big thanks to Texas Ranger! It's all in Boy Wonder's hands now! The run down:

DC Superheroes 6" Line! Although we've gotten a taste with the repurposed Batman wave, the new 6" hasn't hit in earnest yet. This year Mattel is trying to please fans while cautiously test the waters to see how sales will be for this line. The best move so far has been to drop the design and sculpt duties into the lap of the Four Horsemen, who are more than up to the assignment. And even better for us here at AFI, the versions of the characters that the Horsemen prefer is the iconic ones from the 1980s. Sheer bliss, if you ask us. Just look at that Darkseid! And the Luthor! Can you ask for anything more? Brainiac, Batgirl I, and Two-Face are already sculpted but didn't make the show due to inclement weather (it was snowing hard, kids!).

Anyway, Mattel is trying mightly to get access to the whole DC Universe from DC Comics, and not just the Superman/Batman "families" that they're limited to right now. If that happens, be prepared for an explosion in the line come 2007. For now Mattel will be content with churning out terrific versions of the character they can use. Oh, and you heard it here first: Bizarro will most likely have some kind of chase element to him (Like Bane and Osito). Starting in wave III on there will most likely be two figures per wave that will have a chase element. And then to top off the coolness, Target will have an exclusive set of 2-packs in August. They are: Superman/Bizarro, Batman/Batgirl, and Superman/Clark Kent! Here's the rundown for these figures:

The Batman The Batman returned for season two this year with new theme music, a new Batmobile, and new characters! Featured so far are Commissioner Gordon (debuting in the current season finale), Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and a few other surprises. A direct to DVD movie, "Batman vs Dracula" was released, and seems to be doing strong in the ratings. One sore spot though is the "bat embargo" that WB imposes that won't allow companies like Mattel to use the Batman family characters in other lines as long as they are being used in this cartoon. The really sad part is that these new versions don't hold a candle to the "classic" animated versions that we can't see in plastic! There wasn't too much new shown this year at Toy Fair that hadn't already been seen at SDCC 2005. A civilian Barbara Gordon, a portable batcave, and a Joker in his purple coat were about the only new things shown for this line. Look for more at SDCC 2006!

The Batman Display

The Batman Display

The Batman Display

The Batman Display

Joker w/New Coat

Civilian Batgirl

Killer Croc

Portable Batcave

Batman Variant

Batman Variants

Batman Variants

Superman Returns Almost a bigger event than last summer's Batman Begins, the return of the Man of Steel to the big screen is no small thing. With director Brian Singer's (X-Men, X2) sure hand at the helm the anticipation for this to be one of the years biggest films is a given. Likewise, fans are happy to see Superman taking a prominent place back on toy shelves. Mattel is going for a companion line to Batman Begins, again made in a 5" scale and featuring faithful likenesses of actors Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey. 7" Deluxe figures will follow. No word yet if Lois will make it to figure form, but Mattel has come up with some clever ways to make multiple Superman figures. Rounding out the product is an assortment of role playing toys; just make sure little Jimmy doesn't try to jump off the roof wearing the inflatable chest and cape! By the way, I'm guessing at some of the figure names below; they'll be fixed as we get the correct names sent in.